Jayson Werth has only two at-bats with runners in scoring position so far.

MIAMI — Jim Riggleman intended to swap Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa in his lineup for tonight’s game, moving Espinosa into the leadoff spot and sliding the slumping Desmond down to the 7-hole.

On second thought, though, the Nationals managed decided to keep things as they were for the this game against the Marlins. Desmond, despite his 0-for-13 start to the year, remained at the top of the lineup.

“As I thought about it coming in today, I thought: ‘You know, I’m just going to stick with it the way it is and let it ride out,'” Riggleman said. “I talked to a couple coaches about it. They all felt the same way. They’d all rather see Desi there.”

Riggleman left open the possibility of a change at some point, but really the manager doesn’t have many viable alternatives to lead off. Jerry Hairston got the nod last night and went 0-for-4, though he did draw a walk in the eighth inning (the first time in 18 plate appearances this season a Nationals leadoff man reached base). And Espinosa, though he has some experience leading off in the minor leagues, hasn’t shown team officials he’s up to the challenge.Read more

"And Espinosa, though he has some experience leading off in the minor leagues, hasn't shown team officials he's up to the challenge."Team officials must have a pretty terrible opinion of Espinosa. After all, they think a guy with a .308 OBP is better suited to bat leadoff, the single most important lineup position for getting on base.Did you know that of all players who played about a full season last year (525+ plate appearances), only 14 had worse on base percentages than Ian Desmond? Yet Nationals management insists upon batting him first, because they'd rather see him there…

Also, which "couple of coaches" was Riggleman consulting? Steve McCatty and Jim Lett?I fail to see what the third base coach or anyone else besides Eckstein could add to the conversation about Desmond's batting struggles.

Well, another bum move my the manager. He decided on Espy, but then went back to Desi for lead off. Really stupid. Oh, wait a minute. A double and a bunt hit RBI so far. Maybe all he needed was a day off to clear his mind. Seriously, Riggleman knows exactly what he is doing to build this team